Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Frugal Fright

I have a thrifty tip for Halloween decor. If you grow your own pumpkins, you should try etching on them. This must be done while they're still growing. A paper clip end works great, or a safety pin.

This photo was a few weeks after being scratched. It has already gotten a hard scar where scratched. But notice the color of the pumpkin, it's not turned yet. The pumpkins should be scratched just before or about when they are full sized. This is a bit of a guessing game. The real trick is that the pumpkin has time to heal up. So take that into account. A good estimate is late summer.

This creates a cheap decoration, considering pumpkin seed packets are $3 on the high end. You can do several of these on a plant. I only did two this year. In the past, I've done my kid's names. I think you could scratch a bat, Oct 31, or almost anything festive!

These flat orange ones are super easy to grow, but the deer seek them out. I spray with Liquid Fence once or twice a month. They are called Rough Vif d'Etampes. I ordered a packet & have used one or two seeds a year for a health plant that gives me several pumpkins.